FESTIVAL OF IDEAS

BRISTOL

Winter 2011 events

www.ideasfestival.co.uk

Our first winter festival looks at issues of identity, place and the city. We debate identity; what makes cities special and Bristol a special place; the edgelands of cities and of Bristol; the work of J G Ballard; Jane Jacobs and the city looking at the legacy of Jacobs work 50 years on from the publication of The Death and Life of Great American Cities and its lessons for Bristol; the future of cities and the mythology of Bristol, including a walking tour of the myths and legends of Bristol the first in a new series of walking guides about Bristol published by the festival. We have our first annual ideas forum on whether Bristol should have an elected mayor. We also have the second series of Bristol Genius looking in detail at the work of creative people in the city and a special December session on Why Marx was Right with Terry Eagleton. Our final main event of 2011 is Jeffrey Sachs on the economic crisis and the solutions. For full details of each event and to book free events go to www.ideasfestival.co.uk. New events are launched regularly. To keep up to date sign up to the mailing list, Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Andrew Kelly Director

John Gray and Will self

J G Ballard, Cities, suburbs and edgelands

Matteo Pericoli Will Self

Matteo Pericoli

Drawing Cities and Places

Foyles, Cabot Circus, Bristol Tuesday 29 November 2011, 18.30-19.30, Free but booking required (see back cover) Matteo Pericolis drawings of London (example below) and New York have been featured worldwide. Arriving with little previous knowledge of London, Matteo made an intensive 20-mile journey along the river, from Hammersmith Bridge to the Millennium Dome and back again, producing two 37-foot-long pen-and-ink drawings depicting the citys north and south banks. He talks about his new book London Unfurled, what he learned about cities, and shows special drawings of Bristol commissioned for this event.

Watershed, Bristol Thursday 1 December 2011, 18.00-19.00, 7.20 / 5.60 J G Ballard was a writer who saw terror and poetry in the city landscape and who loved edgelands. Whether it was writing about Shanghai, modern Britain, the suburbs, shopping centres, modern architecture, Ballard made a Ballardian world, defined as dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments. Political philosopher John Gray joins author Will Self to discuss Ballards work, his cities and his legacy.

Ballard film season

Were also celebrating J G Ballard on film. Check www.ideasfestival.co.uk and www.watershed.co.uk for updates.

Bristol ideas - the 2011 Bristol ideas Forum

should Bristol Have an elected Mayor?

Watershed, Bristol, Friday 2 December 2011, 09.00-17.15 Prices range from free bursary places to full cost of 80. Free places are for those who otherwise are not able to attend. To enquire about free places contact ideas@gwebusinesswest.co.uk. To book a place see the page on the conference at www.ideasfestival.co.uk/?p=1993. With a referendum likely in May 2012, Bristol Festival of Ideas launches its first annual Ideas Forum with a day conference on whether an elected mayor would be good for Bristol. An elected mayor would potentially be the biggest change to running and managing the city since local government reorganisation in the mid1990s. But would this help to deliver the vision and leadership needed for the future Bristol? Have elected mayors worked elsewhere? Is restricting a mayors powers to within the Bristol local authority boundary the best way to contribute to regional development? And would other forms of reorganisation offer better management and leadership? Issues to be discussed include: What elected mayors could offer and what would be the downsides. The visions for future Bristol and the best means of delivering these. The powers required to deliver what the city needs and whether these are met by the current system. The leadership qualities needed to deliver the future Bristol. Whether the current system should be revised instead of electing a mayor. How mayors have operated in London and other places. The financial powers that are needed for an effective elected mayor and whether these will be available. Whether in the longer term an elected mayor should have an extended, regional remit, rather than just within the Bristol unitary area, to have the most beneficial impact. The speakers include: Lord Andrew Adonis Institute for Government on the Future Leadership Needs of the City Joanna Averley Director, Centre for Cities on Elected Mayors and Economic Development Sir Steve Bullock Mayor of Lewisham, on How Mayors Work in London Professor Robin Hambleton University of the West of England on Place-based Leadership in a Globalising World Ken Livingstone On the Difference a Mayor can Make Ben Rogers Centre for London on London Mayors and the Development of the City Three panels bring together Bristols political leaders, MPs, and business and community leaders: Bristol Councillors Panel: Peter Abraham, Tess Green, Peter Hammond, Barbara Janke Business and Community Panel: Marti Burgess, Jaya Chakrabati, Peter Madden, Colin Skellett MPs Panel: Charlotte Leslie, Kerry McCarthy, Stephen Williams 4

Danny Dorling

Paul Farley

Olivia Laing

Michael Symmons Roberts

Danny Dorling

the state of Contemporary Britain and its Cities

Arnolfini, Bristol Thursday 1 December 2011, 18.00-19.00, 7.20 / 5.60 Danny Dorling is one of Britains leading geographers in fact Simon Jenkins calls him Geographer Royal by Appointment to the Left. His books Injustice: Why Social Inequality Persists and So You Think You Know About Britain? tell us much about the state of contemporary Britain and its cities and places. He dissects the nation and reveals unexpected truths about the way we live today and why inequality exists.

Paul Farley, Olivia Laing, Michael symmons roberts

edgelands, Cities and Places
Arnolfini, Bristol Thursday 1 December 2011, 19.30-21.00, 7.20 / 5.60 Passed through, negotiated, unnamed, ignored, the edgelands have become the great wild places on our doorsteps. Poets Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts have known these places all their lives, and in their book Edgelands they allow this in-between world to speak up for itself. They are joined by Olivia Laing, author of To the River: A Journey Beneath the Surface, who, through the story of the River Ouse, looks at how history resides in a landscape.

Pevsner Guide to north somerset and Bristol

Arnolfini, Bristol Friday 2 December 2011, 18.00-19.00, 5.00 / 4.00 The fully revised Pevsner Guide to North Somerset and Bristol is now published. Author Andrew Foyle talks with series editor, Simon Bradley, about some of the architectural highlights of one of Englands most rewarding regions. Among these are the Georgian spa of Bath, the medieval cathedral city of Wells, John Nashs picturesque masterpiece of Blaise Hamlet and some of the greatest structures designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Geoff Dyer Susan Greenfield

simon Bradley and Andrew Foyle

Geoff Dyer
Arnolfini Dark Studio, Bristol Saturday 3 December 2011, 14.00-15.00, 5.00 / 4.00 Geoff Dyer is one of Britains most exciting and original writers; author of three novels, a critical study of John Berger and four genredefying books including his award-winning The Ongoing Moment about photography, But Beautiful, and Out of Sheer Rage. His recent books are Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi, the story of time spent and loves found and lost in Venice and India, and his collected essays (perhaps the most stimulating read of 2011). Geoff talks about his recent work.

Iain Sinclair

Leila Sansour

Baroness susan Greenfield

You and Me: the neuroscience of identity

Arnolfini, Bristol Saturday 3 December 2011, 14.00-15.00, 7.20 / 5.60 Given the physical brain adapts exquisitely to the environment, and the 21st century environment is changing in unprecedented ways, are we facing correspondingly unprecedented changes to our identity? And what of the impact of social media on the brain and identity? Susan Greenfield, author of ID: The Quest for Identity in the 21st Century and now You and Me: the Neuroscience of Identity, looks at how our identities are changing from the unique perspective of neuroscience.

Leila sansour, Cathi Pawson and Honey thaljieh

Film, Food and Football: vehicles for Change in Palestine

Watershed, Bristol in association with the Bristol Palestine Film Festival Saturday 3 December 2011, 18.00-19.30, 6.00 / 5.00 Often portrayed either as victims, or as terrorists, it is all too easy to forget about the rich agricultural, sporting and cultural heritage of the Palestinian people. Leila Sansour, founder and CEO of Open Bethlehem, presents and discusses footage from her latest film: a feature documentary, The Road to Bethlehem. She is joined by Cathi Pawson, co-founder of the Fairtrade company Zaytoun CIC, to talk about the challenges and rewards of developing a marketplace for Palestinian produce and Honey Thaljieh, who founded the first Palestinian womens national football team in 2003 and remains captain to this day.

Geoff Dyer, Anna Mansfield, Ben rogers and P D smith

Ghost Milk and Other tales of Walking

Arnolfini, Bristol Saturday 3 December 2011, 17.00-18.00, 7.20 / 5.60 Iain Sinclair is a great walker and writer of cities and places. His latest book, Ghost Milk, looks at our possible futures as well as making his most powerful statement yet on the throwaway impermanence of the present. It is a story of incident and accident, of the curious meeting the bizarre. Police raids and mass expulsions jostle with accounts of failed grand projects: the Millennium Dome, Thames Gateway, and numerous other half-completed, ill-advised or abandoned structures.

iain sinclair

Jane Jacobs and the Future of the City

Arnolfini, Bristol Saturday 3 December 2011, 12.00-13.30, 7.20 / 5.60 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of probably the best book ever written about the city: Jane Jacobs The Death and Life of Great American Cities. It remains hugely important, but how great is its influence today and what does it mean for architects, artists, town planners and those that live and work in cities, and for Bristol? Novelist and commentator Geoff Dyer joins Anna Mansfield (Publica), Ben Rogers (Director, Centre for London) and P D Smith (author of the forthcoming City: A Guidebook for the Armchair Traveller), for a special panel on Jacobs, her work and impact and what she tells us about todays city and the future of the city. 5

the ego trick: what does it mean to be you?

Arnolfini, Bristol Saturday 3 December 2011, 18.30-19.30, 7.20 / 5.60 With his usual wit, infectious curiosity and bracing scepticism, Julian Bagginis The Ego Trick, draws on the history of philosophy, anthropology, sociology, psychology and neurology in a fascinating quest to discover What and who is the real you?. He talks to theologians, priests, allegedly reincarnated Lamas, and delves into real-life cases of lost memory, personality disorders and personal transformation; and, candidly and engagingly, he describes his own experiences in his search.

Julian Baggini

Why Marx Was right and Other Controversies

St Georges, Bristol Monday 5 December 2011, 18.00-19.00, 7.00 / 5.00 In his latest book, Terry Eagleton takes issue with the prejudice that Marxism is dead and done with. In a world in which capitalism has been shaken to its roots by major crises, Why Marx Was Right is as urgent and timely as it is brave and candid. Terry Eagleton looks at his recent work and especially Why Marx Was Right. In association with Bristol Institute of Public Affairs.

terry eagleton

Julian Baggini

Doug Saunders

Pauline Black

Sir Roy Strong

Doug saunders
Arrival Cities
Arnolfini, Bristol Sunday 4 December 2011, 13.30-14.30, 7.20 / 5.60 Its in cities that the future of the world will be decided, whether that be in promoting innovation and creativity or living sustainably. Award-winning journalist Doug Saunders, author of Arrival City, provides a detailed tour of the key points in the Great Migration by the words rural populations to the urban areas of the developing world and wealthy West, and considers the actions that have turned this enormous population shift into either a success or a violent failure.

Make no Little Plans

Daniel Burnham and the American City

Arnolfini, Bristol Sunday 4 December 2011, 16.30-17.30, 5.00 / 4.00 Special showing of the film that showed how Chicago and Daniel Burnham specially planned for the future of the city. Much cited as one of the greatest plans ever created for a city, the film shows how the plan came together and its impact.

Laura Oldfield Ford

savage Messiah
Arnolfini, Bristol Saturday 3 December 2011, 19.35-20.35, 5.00 / 4.00 Savage Messiah collects together the entire set of artist Laura Oldfield Fords fanzine to date. In the past this has covered Bristol; more recently she has looked at London. Part graphic novel, part artwork, her work is both an angry polemic against the marginalization of the working class and an exploration of urban space. She talks about and shows examples of her work.

the Price of Civilization: economics and ethics After the Fall

Great Hall, University of Bristol Thursday 8 December 2011, 18.30-19.30, Free but booking required (see back cover) In The Price of Civilization, Jeffrey Sachs, one of the worlds most brilliant economists, reveals why we must and how we can change our entire economic culture in this time of crisis. He argues powerfully for a new cooperative, common-sense political economy, one that stresses practical partnership between government and the private sector, demands competence in both arenas and occasionally insists on carefully chosen public and private sacrifices. His programme is designed to bridge seemingly impossible divides in our society and offers a way forward that we and our leaders ignore at our peril. In association with the Bristol Institute of Public Affairs.

Jeffrey sachs

sir roy strong

english identity and the roots of englishness

Arnolfini, Bristol Sunday 4 December 2011, 18.00-19.00, 7.20 / 5.60 Sir Roy Strong argues that it is the rural tradition combining aestheticism, pastoralism and patriotism that offers an answer to the present crisis of English identity. Free from nationalism, chauvinism and political bias, he offers a vision of England that is inclusive and relevant for everybody living in the country today an appreciation of the beauty of the English countryside, a love of nature and gardening, and a celebration of the dramas of Shakespeare, the paintings of Turner and the music of Elgar.

Pauline Black

Black by Design
Arnolfini, Bristol Sunday 4 December 2011, 15.00-16.00, 7.20 / 5.60 Lead singer for platinum-selling 2-tone band The Selecter, Pauline Black has been in the music business for over 30 years. She was of Anglo-Jewish/Nigerian parents. Adopted by a white, working class family in Romford, Pauline was always made to feel different, both by the local community and members of her extended family, who saw her at best as a curiosity, at worst as an embarrassing inconvenience. She reflects on this life and experience and what it says about identity.

Bristol Genius
Our second season of Bristol Genius which celebrates the work of creative people in the city looks at issues of legibility in urban areas, the new Aardman pirate film, Bristol as a city of incomers, the future of the book, new 3D filmmaking (including showing of 3D film clips), the future of aviation (with a new 3D film: The Future by Airbus), and a new vision for the city-region.
All events in Bristol Genius are free to attend, but need to be booked. Book on the relevant page at www.ideasfestival.co.uk. Please only book tickets that you can use. And if you do book but cant attend please return the tickets as requested. Most events will be fully booked and we will have long waiting lists.

tom Abba

this isnt the Future of the Book

Arnolfini Dark Studio, Bristol Thursday 1 December 2011, 19.30-20.30 In February this year, 120 apparently unconnected artists and writers received an anonymous package a sheet of handmade paper wrapped inside a tissue paper sleeve. Printed on each was an image combining illustration, book cover and encoded short story. A typewritten library card offered only an invitation; more?. In this talk Tom Abba will discuss what more comprised, exploring the question central to the project how do digital platforms change the nature of the book?

neil scott

Aviation 2050
Watershed, Bristol Saturday 3 December 2011, 11.00-12.15 Last year Bristol celebrated 100 years of aviation innovation and production. Airbus, among other companies, looks ahead to where aviation will be in 2050 where the challenges are high: continuing to provide cost-effective but more efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft. Neil Scott, Vice President for Engineering at Airbus in the UK will be joined by others from the industry to talk about aviations future. Includes the 3D film The Future by Airbus.

the Pirates! in An Adventure With scientists

Arnolfini, Bristol Saturday 3 December 2011, 15.30-16.30 Peter Lord, co-director of the forthcoming The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists, talks about the making of the film, from the initial idea, through production to the finished film. Therell be sneak previews from the film.

Peter Lord

sarah Cox

the Aardman/tate Project

Arnolfini Dark Studio, Bristol Sunday 4 December 2011, 15.00-16.00 27,000 children took part in Aardmans The Tate Movie Project plotting, scripting and drawing the half-hour animation The Itch of The Golden Nit, a colourful and surreal adventure making it the largest crowdsourced animation ever. Director Sarah Cox talks about the project from initial idea to finished film.

Madge Dresser

Bristol as a City of refugees

Arnolfini Dark Studio, Bristol Friday 2 December 2011, 18.00-19.00 Those who have made Bristol their home range from medieval Jews to modern asylum seekers. Well before the post-war arrival of people of Caribbean and South Asian origin, the city played host to Welsh, Irish and Scottish incomers as well as to Germans, Italians, Africans, Indians and others. Madge Dresser, co-author of Bristol: Ethnic Minorities and the City, 1000-2001, offers new insights into the experiences of foreigners who came to Bristol.

nigel Ashcroft and Peter Jones

Green Umbrella Bringing science to Life

Watershed, Bristol Saturday 3 December 2011, 12.45-14.00 In 1991, a small team of Bristol filmmakers set out to make science and nature films in a fresh and authoritative way. Forming Green Umbrella and led by Peter Jones and Nigel Ashcroft, they made particular emphasis on both scientific accuracy and the human aspects of their films. Selections from over 40 hours of programmes will be shown including a sequence from this years Cannes Palme dOr winner, Terence Malicks The Tree of Life.

Mike rawlinson

Building a complete Legible City

Arnolfini Dark Studio, Bristol Sunday 4 December 2011, 16.30-17.30 Bristol Legible City, launched in time for the Millennium, won many awards for design and innovation in providing new ways of understanding and experiencing the city. But there remains much more to be done. Mike Rawlinson of City ID, founder and chief architect of the idea, looks at what a complete legible city needs, with examples from his work in Bristol, the UK and internationally.

Andy Corp, Mark Jacobs and stephen Pelluet

new BBC 3D Work
Watershed, Bristol Saturday 3 December 2011, 09.30-10.30 BBC Television is investing in 3D productions of new programmes and existing series. What are the technical challenges, and how do you meet editorial aspirations? How does making 3D films mean thinking differently? Three BBC filmmakers at the front line of the technology show clips and talk about their work. 9

John savage
Bristol 2050
Watershed, Bristol Saturday 3 December 2011, 14.15-15.15 The Bristol Initiative has been working since 1993 to develop and deliver a long-term vision for the city and the West of England. In December 2011 it unveils its vision for 2050. What will the city-region look like then? How will people learn and work and live their lives? How will they be housed? An early chance to see what our futures might be like.

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Foyles season
Our free events series at Foyles, Cabot Circus, continues with sessions on dogs, the arms trade, food and pies. Book at the relevant event page at www.ideasfestival.co.uk.

For further details of all events, including biographies of speakers and links to articles as well as new events see www.ideasfestival.co.uk. Sign up to the mailing list and be the first to hear about new events. See the latest news and join debates at Twitter and Facebook.

John Bradshaw and Christine nicol

in Defence of Dogs
8 November 2011, 18.30-19.30 John Bradshaw, author of In Defence of Dogs, stands up for the real dog the pet that just wants to be one of the family and enjoy life in discussion with Christine Nicol and Julian Baggini.

Booking Details
Events need to be booked with the venue where the session takes place with the exception of free events which should be booked via the relevant event page on the Festival of Ideas website.
Bristol Festival of Ideas is an initiative of Bristol Cultural Development Partnership:

Andrew Feinstein

the shadow World: inside the Global Arms trade

21 November 2011, 18.30-19.30 Andrew Feinstein, author of The Shadow World, pulls back the curtain on the secretive world of the global arms trade, revealing the corruption and the cover-ups behind weapons deals.
We are grateful for the support of:

Adam Gopnik

the table Comes First

28 November 2011, 18.30-19.30 Adam Gopnik envisions a new physiology of taste which will enable us to dispense with a moralising attitude towards food and concentrate on the pleasure principle.

Pieminister
15 December 2011, 18.30 onwards Everyone loves a pie and Pieminister is a great Bristol success story. Tristan Hogg and Jon Simon, founders of the company, have now bought together their classic and new recipes in Pieminister: A Pie for All Seasons. They talk about pies, give us some to sample, and there are Christmas drinks too.
Photo credits: Front cover (left to right): Will Self, Leila Sansour, Iain Sinclair (by Joy Gordon), Pauline Black (by Yad Jaura) and Ken Livingstone (by Jonathan Root). Text pages (in order of appearance): Matteo Pericoli (by Roger Lanoue Jr), Paul Farley (by Hayley Madden), Michael Symmons Roberts (by Andrew Crowley), Geoff Dyer (by Jason Oddy), Susan Greenfield (by Melvin Marshall) and Sir Roy Strong (by Clive Boursnell). Design: www.qubedesign.com.

www.ideasfestival.co.uk
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